


Pulled Together.

by corrupt_vault



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asphyxiation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Ghirahim being Ghirahim, Ghirahim's a bit of an ass, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Torture, Light Angst, Light Sadism, Link (Legend of Zelda) Uses Sign Language, M/M, Master/Servant, Mild Blood, Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Red String of Fate, Slightly Out Of Character, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:27:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23200921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corrupt_vault/pseuds/corrupt_vault
Summary: Even after a few years, the past loomed over him like a toxic shadow. A cloud of fear that was too thick for him to be able to breathe. Nothing felt right, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being followed.Then it came to him, volatile, and out for blood.
Relationships: Ghirahim/Link (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 48





	Pulled Together.

**Author's Note:**

> I have been writing for Ghirahim for years, and I still am unable to perfect that uncanny attitude of his. His personality is a goddamn enigma layered in self-indulgence. So forgive me if he's slightly out of character.  
> This is mostly inspired by me being upset at the amount of spandexverse Ghira/Link when there could be so much more... I needed to shake things up a little.  
> Other than that, uh, read. Go forth. Do it. I know you want to.

Always unnerving, the forest lay in silence, and chirping birds were halted by an unknown force. Calm air swept the land, laying a facade of peace across the forest. He would never grow accustomed to it, and he had come to accept that regardless of how difficult it made his life. Fallen away from his destiny, the hero wandered the grounds aimlessly, head up in the clouds. This wasn’t out of the ordinary.

Though usually a swarm of bokoblins would have struck by now, and this time they would have the upper hand. The peace rested uneasily on his conscious, setting him on edge as he carried on deeper into the forest. His cerulean eyes studied the terrain around him, ears perked up in search of any unusual sound. It hadn’t been this way when he returned to his little hut last night- this was different.

Warm but cautionary wind blew past him, whispering a warning that fell on deaf ears. He chewed the inside of his lip, pausing in his footsteps. The deeper he travelled into the woods, the faster the calm facade dissipated into the air. Perhaps he was still trapped in his mindset from years ago, where he felt there were eyes constantly on his back, watching his every move and waiting to strike.

Something in the air shook him to the core for an unknown reason, but he had been unable to shake it from the moment he had opened his eyes that morning. It was something that intimidated him, emanating from an unknown source. His instincts told him to keep moving, but his body stayed unmoving and rigid. Every bone in his body was preparing him for a fight that he believed wouldn’t come.

Subconsciously, the absence of violence made sense. With any luck, the population of bokoblins was steadily decreasing, and they were tired of dying off. Or they were exhausted from being pushed further and further away from the progressively increasing village that settled in their land. However the silence that befell the land remained an enigma in his mind, and he couldn’t place his finger on why it stayed so off-putting.

The last person he encountered that morning left an imprint on his thoughts, with visible concern written on her face as he ran away. Link knew that Zelda would have had something to say about the troublesome atmosphere, but instead he walked away wordlessly. Not that he truly spoke with words. He couldn’t shake the look in her eyes, and now that he was out and about, he wished he had stopped to chat.

Regardless, she hadn’t stopped him either and allowed him to carry on into the ill-feeling forest. He knew that if Fi were still around, she would have advised him to stay in bed or do some work around the expanding village- Link smiled fondly at the memory of her emotionless voice, scolding him as if she were his mother. The blond shook his head- Fi was a distant memory. She had completed her task.

And in the back of his mind, he knew it was her time to go. So instead of fighting it, he thought he made the best decision by letting her go, as painful as it was. Though emotionless, he swore he grew attached to her despite her tiresome reminders. Link sighed, wrapping his arms around himself. The ghost of her blade still rested across his back, as if engraved into his skin.

Nowadays the blade he typically carried compared nothing to Fi’s power, and he would be lying if he said he didn’t miss her presence. It felt nice to have a companion to rely on, and not feel crazy in his lonesome. Suddenly he paused in his thoughts, gaze snapping back to the forest around him as he forced himself out of the memories. The quiet forest only became more unnerving as he proceeded to stare.

In the back of his mind, he swore that he had heard a twig snap- and it wasn’t his imagination. His blue eyes shot around the area in a panic, searching for anything that could be responsible for the sound. A kikwi, squirrel- hell, he’d accept Fledge if he had to. Anything to comfort his restless mind. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, but his body fell rigid under a presence he couldn’t distinguish.

Suddenly everything felt wrong, or as though Link was completely out of place. A wave of cold air rushed over him- odd, when he considered how warm it had been a minute ago. Why had the temperature dropped so low? Link continued to glance around, subconsciously rubbing his arms to keep himself warm. Everything looked alright, but why was every bone in his body telling him to run?

And in his moment of fear, there was a sudden weight on his shoulders, and warm breath against his ear.

“Hello sky child~”

He spun on his heels, letting out a surprised yelp as he stumbled blindly away from the source of the voice. A familiar chuckle emulated around him, dripping with malice and ill-intention. For a moment, Link’s brain lost the ability to comprehend who the voice belonged to, reeling back to stop himself from falling flat on his ass. The chuckle played on loop in the back of his mind.

Shivers went down his spine and he spun around again, searching for the source of the voice. Nothing. Link grit his teeth, fists clenching at his sides. The loop kept playing, quieter and quieter with each repeat. Where did he know that voice from, how long had it been? He shook his head, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. That was, until his brain could catch up with the situation.

Of course he knew that voice, it belonged to his deceased enemy. The boy frowned, eyes freezing on the path ahead of him. It was not possible, not after how much time had passed- months had gone by without so much as a glimpse of his presence. Ghirahim had been gone for years, vanishing without a trace after Demise’s defeat. Why would he show his face now?

Although, Link couldn’t shake the feeling that the demon’s eyes were on him. He knew how familiar it felt, and had grown accustomed to it during the time he spent running from the demon. Yet there was some instinct in his subconscious reminding him of how much he missed this feeling. Link knew how much danger he was putting himself in.

Without a sword, he was practically a sitting duck, waiting for death. His fists clenched at his sides. Ghirahim had moments in the past where he put up a fair fight, hadn’t he? If he was lucky, Ghirahim would repeat his past actions- no, this would be different. The demon had been gone for years, something had to have changed.

“Still looking for me?~”

He was going to have his throat ripped out. Not that he used it, of course. It wasn’t like breathing was necessary. Link glared at his surroundings, taking in any changes he could find. No sign of anything surrounding him, and nothing had changed except for the return of the warm breeze. /Where are you?/ He signed, gritting his teeth. The damned chuckle echoed around him, much closer than before.

“Worried that I will get too close?” Suddenly, Link hissed as a sharp pain shot through the tip of his ear, and he instinctively brought his hand up to soothe it. When he retracted, blood painted his fingertips, and Ghirahim laughed as if he was standing directly behind him. A dagger. /You were dead./ Link signed, clenching his teeth when he felt the ghosts of hands wrap themselves around his shoulders.

He wanted to believe it was just a feeling, but a simple glance downward confirmed his suspicions. His gaze fell to gloved hands. “Correct, sky child. Gone, but not long enough, hm?” Ghirahim’s grip tightened on his shoulders, before going lax, and finally faded all together. Link felt his muscles clench. “Long enough for the Spirit Maiden to pick up the broken pieces of the surface?”

The hylian swallowed, his gaze falling to the ground as the demon lord stepped around him, his legs barely working into his line of sight. “I will take that as a no…” Ghirahim clicked his tongue as a disappointed mother would, putting his hands on his hips as he came to a stop in front of the boy. Link wouldn’t dare meet his gaze. “You know, I’ve spent years running through our final battle in my mind.”

Link wasn’t very surprised to hear that, after all, Ghirahim had come off strongly as a narcissist. Whether that had been his intention, or whether that was a large part of the demon’s personality, it remained unforgettable in the back of his mind. “More so, I’ve reflected on the mistakes of our past together.” The boy’s eyebrows furrowed, and he found himself glaring up at Ghirahim through his blond bangs.

He hadn’t changed since the last time they fought, aside from the obvious difference that he was no longer a giant sword. His blue diamond earring hung visibly in its usual place, reflecting in the sunlight, causing Link to frown at the memory of it. The last time he saw Ghirahim in this form was directly before his face-off with the Demon King. Even then, Ghirahim appeared before him differently.

This Ghirahim lacked the creeping blackness across his body, where metal met flesh. This was the normal Ghirahim, before Link had managed to anger him to a point of no return. /What do you want with me?/ Link signed, before his feet moved ahead of his body, narrowly dodging a dagger that would have nicked his shoulder. The demon smirked at him, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I’ve been gone years, and you have the audacity to try and turn me away?” Link slowly frowned, glaring up at the demon who still continued to tower over him. His intention hadn’t been to turn Ghirahim away, as much as he wanted him to leave, and instead he found himself unable to turn the demon down. Absentmindedly he chewed the inside of his cheek, tightening his fists.

Ghirahim’s onyx eyes stared him down coldly, though every part of his expression held his familiar charisma and flamboyance. Comfortably familiar, though Link would never mention it. “And yet you still refuse to speak to me. How pathetically cute…” The demon mumbled, taking a step closer to Link, before he snapped his fingers and vanished in a flurry of diamonds.

Link winced as Ghirahim’s dagger flew past him, cutting his cheek as the boy swivelled to dodge it. The boy growled, rounding on the demon. /I’m mute, asshole./ “Oh, yes. I picked that up after our first encounter.” Ghirahim grumbled, cockily putting his hand on his hip. He flashed a fanged sneer. Link frowned, shifting himself into a better fighting position- he was weaponless, but he could hold his ground.

Then again, he believed he now knew better than to test Ghirahim’s practically merciless nature. In the past, the demon put on a perfect display of just how deadly he could be, and now Link stood before him without a weapon. Right where Ghirahim would have the upper hand, and Link was cussing himself out mentally. If he had any chance of surviving this encounter, it would have been with a weapon.

Of course, it wasn’t as though he had spent the morning planning to get ambushed by his presumed deceased enemy. Had he known, he might have ignored every thought that told him to leave his sword behind. /Again, what do you want from me?/ Suddenly, Ghirahim disappeared again, and the familiar weight on Link’s shoulders unfortunately returned. The demon’s breath was cool against his ear.

“I want to know something, sky child. And only you can provide an answer..” Link found himself holding his breath as Ghirahim spoke, his body going tense under his nimble fingers. “How did you manage to defeat Demise? A simpleminded child, playing with a dangerous toy. How did you do it?” The demon’s grip tightened for a moment, until his hands slid down Link’s arms, though the boy remained frozen.

All it was, was his mission. He had been tasked with defeating Demise, and he wasted no time in doing so. With the years passed, Link slowly realized how the question never popped up under any circumstance, even once Zelda had woken up. Yet he knew better than to leave Ghirahim without an answer, but couldn’t conjure up a good enough reason that would seem plausible.

Although he was certain that Ghirahim could conjure up some excuse for his “easy win”. Ghirahim loved the sound of his own voice, apparently. “Right… you’re mute. I could use all my strength to force you to speak.. it would all be meaningless in the end…” His voice dropped to a deadly whisper. “You can’t even scream my name… such a pity..” Link bit his tongue, fighting the urge to squirm out of his grasp.

It would be useless, the demon could easily get ahold of him again and the cycle would begin anew. He also had the option to stay put, but he leaned more towards pulling away regardless of how pointless it would be. Suddenly Link lurched forward, catching the demon off-guard as he stumbled out of his grip, holding his arms out to catch himself as he fell face first into the dirt.

Although he couldn’t see him, he could feel Ghirahim’s cold stare follow him like a bad omen, which made him shudder. He hesitantly pushed himself up into a crouch, until he felt an odd sensation against his back- Ghirahim’s foot. /Ghirahim./ Link glared up at him, feeling the demon dig in his heel. “Is there a problem?” Link didn’t have to look to know the demon was wearing a smug grin.

/Get off./ He pushed against him, grunting when the demon kicked him forward onto his hands and knees. The hylian caught himself, hissing as his palms scratched against the rough ground. “After all these years, you give up on fighting me? You’re willing to take a few hits?” The demon’s chuckle made his blood run cold. “And here I thought you would be willing to fight… for old times sake.”

As Link tried to push himself back to his feet, Ghirahim hooked his fingers under his chin, forcing his head up. Ghirahim was met with a hard glare, and a frown. He tapped his finger on Link’s cheek with a fanged grin. “You still have your attitude I see… it’s nothing that can’t be fixed.” Link’s glare only worsened, but he felt his nerves clench. Was Ghirahim intending to sound like he was going to kill him?

/Leave me alone./ “What will happen if I don’t?” There was a taunt in his words that prodded at Link’s mind. All bark, with a high probability of bite. Link knew better than to second-guess that Ghirahim would attack. He knew that he would, and that it was only a matter of time given the ignited spark in Ghirahim’s fathomless eyes. A spark, searching for its next victim- for Ghirahim’s next prey.

Link just so happened to be on the hit-list. “Do you remember when you interfered in Eldin? In the Fire Sanctuary?” Ghirahim turned Link’s head to the side, observing the oddly shaped red earrings that hung from his earlobes. Link swallowed at the memory. The constant feeling of flames licking at his body, their heat almost nonexistent against the protection of the fire-shield earrings.

But he knew that Ghirahim was asking about their battle- the first time something about the demon piqued the hylian’s interest. When Ghirahim displayed his malicious nature in full, and made sure to put on a show which shamefully left Link bothered by the end of the fight. “I’ve put some thought into my words and actions.” As expected. Link almost frowned. 

Ghirahim turned Link’s head back so the boy was completely facing him, and almost entirely at his mercy. As if something bad was about to happen, which seemed likely, Link’s mind was screaming for him to find a way out of this. “Do you remember what I told you?” Ghirahim’s voice dropped dangerously low, and Link felt his heart sink into his stomach as a wave of dread overcame him.

“You and I… we are almost inseparable. Two halves of the same coin, each fighting for their own side. Bound by our thread of fate, destined to fight.” Their thread of fate… the one thing that stuck in Link’s mind. Not because he had never heard of the term, but because he had never expected to hear it from his enemy. Ghirahim spoke in poems, which wrapped themselves around Link’s mind like a chain.

Link knew why he was bringing this up, or so he thought. They spent their past time chasing the other down through a never-ending cycle, floating down this thread of fate that kept them tied together. Or… that’s what he could make out of Ghirahim’s past theatrics, anyways. /You’ll never leave me alone?/ He signed, shifting his attention to the diamond earring hanging from his visible ear.

The demon had it from their first meeting, yet it never seemed to take a beating after all the demon went though. Link furrowed his brows. “Not after what you’ve done, no.” To Link’s surprise, Ghirahim dug his talon-like nails into his chin, using his other hand to push against Link’s chest, and throw his upper body onto the ground. The action was swift enough that Link barely had time to register what had happened.

Suddenly he was on his back, at the complete mercy of his unstable enemy. “I’ve let you run freely for far too long, Link.” Link swallowed at Ghirahim’s tone, eyes focusing on the sharp fangs the demon bared. To increase how powerless Link felt, the demon shifted himself on top, pinning Link to the ground. Suddenly, and to Link’s dismay, Ghirahim’s hand wrapped tightly around his throat.

Link let out a choked noise in surprise, his own hands grabbing the demon’s wrists- who simply batted them away like nothing. The demon’s face was contorted in a sudden bout of rage. “You are a child! A meaningless speck at the bottom of my shoe! How!? How did you manage to defeat him?” Ghirahim’s grip tightened, and Link tugged on his wrists more. With his other hand, Ghirahim swatted them away.

“You’ve taken everything from me!” Ghirahim barked, digging his claws into Link’s neck as the boy scrambled beneath his weight. His one hand pathetically swiped at Ghirahim’s hands, the other pounding against the demon’s chest. All to no prevail, and the contingency of his forthcoming doom. The snarl stayed in place on Ghirahim’s lips, animalistic and too close for Link’s comfort.

Not that he had a choice in the matter, it wasn’t as if he could breathe. He pounded again at Ghirahim’s chest, kicking his legs beneath the demon’s weight. “You took away my master! You took away my chance at living- give me one good reason why I should waste my breath on you!?” The demon proceeded to tighten his grip on Link’s throat, who choked pathetically for air that he couldn’t grasp.

He was going to die here, and Ghirahim was going to get exactly what he wanted. Link grabbed Ghirahim’s wrist, making a weak attempt to pull his throat out of his iron grip. A deep growl emerged from the demon’s chest, and Link swore he saw a pain and hurt in his eyes. “Why should I allow you to carry on with your pathetic existence, when you wasted no time trying to rid yourself of me?”

Link dug his nails into Ghirahim’s wrist, pushing against his grip as he gasped for the slightest bit of air. In the spur of the moment, his other hand reached up to pull at Ghirahim’s hair. The demon hissed, batting the boy’s hand away with his free hand. “You are a waste of air, sky child.” He growled, before finally releasing his grip on Link’s throat. How the boy hadn’t given up by that moment, he wasn’t sure.

But Link gratefully gasped for air, coughing as his lungs tried to adjust to the sudden intake of oxygen once again. Ghirahim lifted himself away from Link, pulling himself to his feet as he ran a hand through his hair in annoyance. He scoffed at his own actions, stepping away from the boy as he wreathed on the ground, choking on regained air. Luckily for Link, Ghirahim resisted any urge to put him out of his misery.

The demon was grinding his teeth under his composure, controlling his temper from boiling over. Every bone in his body was itching to snap Link’s neck- and still, he remained soft on the boy. His claws had been aimed with the intention to kill, and he continued to back down when the opportunity was within his grasp. Yet when he was staring into those cerulean pools, he hesitated.

Again, he hesitated, as he had with every other fight. Now Link stared up at him, bringing a hand to his throat as he panted weakly. Ghirahim could have easily crushed his windpipe, and backed down. /Why? Why did you..?/ The demon studied Link’s hand for a moment, his own fists clenching. He was still going easy, holding back on his full potential. Why the hell couldn’t he finish the job?

Because he was too weak, and too soft to be able to kill this child. His talon-like nails dug into his palms, keeping him grounded from losing his temper. He was on the brink of boiling over and snapping, which would help neither of them. Link stayed staring at him expectantly, searching for an answer in Ghirahim’s expression. He could see the tension building behind his eyes, ready to spill over at any second.

Link ran his fingers over his neck, wincing in places where he was certain his skin was already beginning to bruise. He dared to raise more questions about Ghirahim’s actions, but the words ran dry on his fingertips as the demon knelt down beside him, his body tense and eyes dull. Link’s muscles stiffened, and his mind was telling him to run while he still had the chance… but he couldn’t.

His heart pulled him back to this place, frozen to the spot as his mind raced with endless scenarios of what Ghirahim could be thinking at this moment. “You… you stole everything from me. Yet no matter how hard I try.. I.. I can’t make you pay. I can not make you suffer for everything you’ve put me through.” Link swallowed hard, staring Ghirahim down with a mix of emotion in his eyes.

/What did I put you through?/ The question seemed innocent enough, but he was holding his breath. He realized how improperly it was worded when Ghirahim’s gaze flickered over, eyes burning with agita- but when he spoke, his voice came out just barely above a whisper. “You defeated Demise… do you know how long I have mulled over the reason for my continued existence?”

Link slowly shook his head- until today, he thought the demon was long dead. If Ghirahim had truly been alive since Demise’s defeat, how long could he have spent? “I believe I only survived… because I abandoned him in his final moments..” Ghirahim’s eyes fell to his hands, resting angrily at his sides. “I suppose I should be thanking you. You saved me from an eternity of despair, had he survived.”

Being the confused teenager he was, Link furrowed his brows. /Saved you… from.. Demise?/ He signed, frowning. He almost jumped at the soft chuckle that made his ears perk up. Ghirahim ran a hand over his face, careful to not disrupt his makeup. “Of course… why did I think you would understand one bit of what I’m saying…” /So what are you saying?/ The demon huffed, shaking his head dismissively.

“Forget about it.” Link’s frown deepened. /If I saved you, I want to know how./ Ghirahim raised his eyebrows curiously. “Demise would have my head if he knew that I left him. That’s all.” Link’s frown deepened even more. He didn’t want to make assumptions, but he could only hold his opinion for so long. Demise came off as an asshole anyways, so he was sure he could make a lot of assumptions about him.

/Did he hurt you?/ The instant look in Ghirahim’s eyes made him flinch. He saw the irritation settling on his features, but mostly, he saw the fear in his eyes. “Why would you care?” The demon snapped, his lips twitching into a small sneer. He had to remind himself to calm down, and not act irrationally. It would do no good for either of them. Link bit his lip, shaking his head slowly to drop the conversation.

He exhaled a breath he didn’t know he was holding when Ghirahim’s gaze flickered over. “I did not come here to torment you, sky child.” Ghirahim clicked his tongue, laughing in pity at himself. A few things crossed his mind before his arrival, which he gratefully kept to himself… until now, where it appeared he had no other choice. Link stared at him with those curious blue eyes of his.

Those eyes that Ghirahim dreamed of ripping out, too full of wonder or determination for him to see reason. “Demise is gone. Yet I remain… without a master.” The hylian blinked a few times, throwing up his eyebrows, as if he didn’t know what Ghirahim was asking of him. Truth be told, he had no idea what Ghirahim was thinking. /What do you need?/ He signed, lowering his head cautiously.

In case Ghirahim decided to lunge for his throat again, which wasn’t completely out of the question. The demon bit his lip, his hand reaching out to cup the cheek of the fearful hylian who inched away from his touch. But after a moment of studying the situation, Link drew closer to his hand, finding an odd comfort in the way Ghirahim held onto him. He hooked his fingers under Link’s chin.

“I am nothing more than a weapon crafted for decoration, left without anyone to wield me.” Ghirahim explained, his words turning into a usual puzzle that Link had to take a moment to unscramble. When it didn’t seem like Link was understanding, Ghirahim let out an agitated sigh. “I don’t have a master, Link. Therefore, I am barely useful where I sit. A weapon without an owner.”

Link’s eyebrows rose further as his words finally sunk in- Ghirahim was at a loss, coming to his enemy to find a purpose without Demise. Without the master that Link single-handedly defeated. He sucked on his teeth, before sighing. /Why me?/ Ghirahim chuckled dryly. “You were the only other person I could think of who had previously wielded an ancient blade.” Fi… Ghirahim knew Fi.

Perhaps Link already knew that, or perhaps he had forgotten over the years passed. /And… you’re fine with this?/ He looked up at him almost hopefully, taking in the pitiful look the demon had. Ghirahim chuckled, tilting Link’s chin up. “What have I to lose?” The hylian nodded slowly, unconsciously sinking into Ghirahim’s delicate touch. As if he was a piece of glass that could be broken by a feather.

/What do you need me to do?/

**Author's Note:**

> I gave up about halfway, and you can tell exactly where I lost my motivation. So some parts are a little sloppy.  
> This was for a friend who wishes to remain anonymous, but,,, girl I'm sorry this took so long,, and that it's a mess,,
> 
> I also literally did not re-read this aside from formatting issues, so... yeah. It's done. Yeah. Heh.


End file.
